"Abiyoso" Literacy Center Builds Literacy Civilization for Persons with Disabilities

BANDUNG (22 Juni 2020) - Reminding the statement of the Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari P. Batubara, that the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation is one of the builders of human civilization. This was conveyed by him at the Opening of the National Coordination Meeting of the Social Rehabilitation Program on March 11st, 2020.

As the builder of human civilization, the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation certainly has a big task. The humanitarian task of realizing social welfare for 22 out of 26 target priority Persons who Need Social Welfare Services (PPKS). It will be technically implemented in social rehabilitation centers throughout Indonesia.

Indonesian Braille Literacy Center (BLBI) "Abiyoso" or also known as "Abiyoso" Literacy Center for example. The Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat immediately declared that this Center was one of the builders of human civilization. "Yes, the “Abiyoso” Literacy Center" is the builder of the literacy civilization of people with disabilities in Indonesia," he said (20/6).

How could it is not, the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center is the only Technical Implementation Unit within the Ministry of Social Affairs that manages braille literacy for people with visual sensory disabilities (PDSN) as well as a national reference, and a braille literacy laboratory in Indonesia.

The "Abiyoso" Literacy Center has opened the horizons of the PDSN to access information. Eradicating braille illiteracy among PDSN with only fingers, now PDSNs are able to challenge the world.

In addition, the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center also provides literacy services, such as, publishing / printing of braille and audio books, Technical Guidance (Bimtek) of Arabic and Latin Braille reading and writing accessibility, Information Technology Accessibility Guidance for PDSN, Braille Corner in various public libraries, Whispering Cinemas and Story Telling.

Then, there is also an Audio Mobile Library based on a smartphone application, a Mobile Library, a Free Internet Service called NetDisNet (Internet for the Disabled), and the publication of the Gema Braille magazine.

Unmitigated, the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center also frequently participates in literacy exhibitions in various regions, ranging from national to international ones. This center is a member of the Indonesian Publisher Association (IKAPI).

In 2020, the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center produced 47,400 consisting of 35,492 braille printed books, 11,700 Talk Books, 48 Digital Pen Islamic Religious Books and 160 Braille Teaching Guidelines. Production results are distributed to PDSN in nursing homes, Social Welfare Institutions (LKS), Social Organizations in the Community, Special Schools (SLB) and also meet the needs in libraries, Province/City/Regency Social Services.

Talk Book, Voice Alms for People with Disabilities

One thing that became an attraction when visiting the “Abiyoso” Literacy Center was the Audio Book or Talk Book product. A Talking Book is a compact disk (CD) containing the recorded results of reading books, ranging from novels, religion, motivation, health and general knowledge.

Talking Book which has been formed since 1993 in collaboration with the Japanese government, namely the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). They provide audio equipment, training and expertise for the talking books project through cassette tapes. But now developing through CD media.

The Talk Book is produced from a book read in the studio while being recorded using the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) format, a format that allows users, in this case PDSN, to access various features or facilities available on a special player.

The recordings will then be copied onto CDs, which are then distributed to various institutions that work together with the “Abiyoso” Literacy Center. To be able to access all the features of the talk book, a special player is required.

However, for those who do not have this special player, you can also use a regular device such as a laptop or computer to be able to enjoy the full contents of the book.

Maneuvers of the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center to Transform Talking Books

In 2018, the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center received assistance from the Siloam Foundation (Siloam Center for The Blind) for the development of Talk Books through the Audio Mobile Library (AML) application. This is adapting the development of smart phone communication tools (smartphones) which are increasingly advanced.

The basis for using AML can be accessed by PDSN with smart phones that have installed audio-based screen reader applications such as the Talks application, Damayanti and others. AML can be downloaded on the play store for free. However, to become a member, it is necessary to have permission from the AML service provider, namely the "Abiyoso" Literacy Center.

AML currently contains quite a variety of content, ranging from news, self-development, religious literature, fiction, school books and general knowledge, Voice-based Gema Braille magazine, novels and Islamic textbooks. The AML team received direct training from Siloam Foundation experts in the use of AML.

The Director General for Social Rehabilitation is very supportive of this maneuver. Until he expressed the idea to change the nomenclature "Literacy in Braille" to "Literacy for Disability". "I think that the term literacy for disability is more suitable if now reading material can be realized in other formats, not only through braille, for example like this talking book," he said.

The modernization of technology stimulates the “Abiyoso” Literacy Center to maneuver in the field of digital technology. Talk books, for example, in the future will be transformed from CDs into soft files or e-books that can be accessed online, complete literature packaged in an application, and even have a separate website connected to the “Google” search engine.